1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grain agitating apparatus for agitating grain stored in a grain tank, and a grain storing apparatus in which the grain agitating apparatus is provided.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an accumulating, agitating, mixing, drying and storing apparatus, for example, there is a structure described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 9-12151. The accumulating, agitating, mixing, drying and storing apparatus is provided with a grain tank. Rough rice is fed in the grain tank so as to be accumulated and stored. Dry wind is blown into the grain tank. Accordingly, the rough rice stored in the grain tank is dried up.
An agitating machine 200 shown in FIG. 18 is provided within the grain tank. The agitating machine 200 is provided with a cylindrical guide shaft 202. The guide shaft 202 is provided at an upper portion within the grain tank. The guide shaft 202 is always rotated on its own axis in one direction around a center axis. The guide shaft 202 is always revolved on a horizontal surface in one direction around one end side.
A reversing plate 206 and a reversing plate 204 are respectively fixed to a portion near the one end and a portion near another end of the guide shaft 202. The reversing plates 204 and 206 are integrally rotated with the guide shaft 202 on their own axes. The reversing plates 204 and 206 are formed in a ring plate shape. A plurality of oblong holes 208 are formed at peripheral portions of the reversing plates 204 and 206 with uniform intervals.
A fixed support machine casing 210, a driven support machine casing 212 and a drive support machine casing 214 which are substantially formed in an inverse pentagonal tube shape are supported by the guide shaft 202 from the another end side to the one end side. The fixed support machine casing 210, the driven support machine casing 212 and the drive support machine casing 214 surround the guide shaft 202. The fixed support machine casing 210, the driven support machine casing 212 and the drive support machine casing 214 are made rotatable with respect to the guide shaft 202. Accordingly, the fixed support machine casing 210, the driven support machine casing 212 and the drive support machine casing 214 are structured such as to allow the guide shaft 202 to rotate on its own axis. Further, the fixed support machine casing 210 is arranged at the another end side of the guide shaft 202 from the reversing plate 204. The driven support machine casing 212 and the drive support machine casing 214 are arranged between the reversing plate 204 and the reversing plate 206. The driven support machine casing 212 and the drive support machine casing 214 is structured such as to move in an axial direction of the guide shaft 202.
As shown in FIG. 20, a plurality of bearings 238 are provided within the driven support machine casing 212. Each of the bearings 238 has a holding portion 240 and a spherical rotating portion 242. Each of the holding portions 240 is fixed to an inner surface of the driven support machine casing 212. Each of the rotating portions 242 is rotatably held to each of the holding portions 240 in a state of being partly covered by each of the holding portions 240. Each of the bearings 238 is in contact with a peripheral surface of the guide shaft 202 in the rotating portion 242. Accordingly, the driven support machine casing 212 is supported by the guide shaft 202 as mentioned above, allows the guide shaft 202 to rotate on its own axis, and is structured such as to be capable of moving in the axial direction of the guide shaft 202.
The fixed support machine casing 210, the driven support machine casing 212 and the drive support machine casing 214 respectively support upper portions of down augers 216. Each of the down augers 216 is inserted into the rough rice within the grain tank. Each of the down augers 216 is revolved integrally with the revolution of the guide shaft 202. Each of the down augers 216 is rotated on its own axis around the center axis. Accordingly, the rough rice within the grain tank is agitated (mixed).
The driven support machine casing 212 and the drive support machine casing 214 are connected by a connection lever 218. Accordingly, the driven support machine casing 212 and the drive support machine casing 214 are inhibited from relatively moving in the axial direction of the guide shaft 202.
As shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, one end of a reversing arm 220 is rotatably supported by a lower surface of an upper wall of the driven support machine casing 212 at a side end toward the reversing plate 204. One end of a reversing rod 222 is rotatably connected to another end of the reversing arm 220. A reversing pin 224 is fixed to the one end of the reversing arm 220. The reversing pin 224 protrudes to a side of the reversing plate 204 from the driven support machine casing 212.
A passive gear 226 is rotatably supported by a lower surface of an upper wall of the drive support machine casing 214 at the side end toward the reversing plate 204. A passive arm 228 is fixed to the passive gear 226. Another end of the reversing rod 222 is rotatably connected to one end of the passive arm 228.
A reversing gear 230 is rotatably supported by the lower surface of the upper wall of the drive support machine casing 214 at a side end toward the reversing plate 206. A reversing pin 232 is fixed to the reversing gear 230. The reversing pin 232 protrudes to a side of the reversing plate 206 from the drive support machine casing 214.
A support gear 234 is rotatably supported by the lower surface of the upper wall of the drive support machine casing 214 at a center thereof. The support gear 234 is engaged with the passive gear 226 and the reversing gear 230. The support gear 234 supports a cylindrical drive roll 236. The drive roll 236 is brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the guide shaft 202. Accordingly, the drive roll 236 is rotated around the peripheral surface of the guide shaft 202 due to the rotation of the guide shaft 202. Further, the support gear 234 is rotated, whereby a direction of incline of the drive roll 236 in the axial direction with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202 is changed.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 19A, when the axial direction of the drive roll 236 is inclined to one side with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202 (when the side of the drive roll 236 opposite to the rotation direction of the guide shaft 202 is inclined to the side of the reversing plate 206), the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212 are moved to the side of the reversing plate 206. At this time, the reversing pin 232 is inclined to the side opposite to the rotation direction of the guide shaft 202 with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202, and the reversing pin 224 is inclined to the side of the rotation direction of the guide shaft 202 with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202.
Thereafter, when the drive support machine casing 214 has reached the reversing plate 206, the reversing pin 232 is inserted to the oblong hole 208 of the reversing plate 206. Accordingly, the reversing pin 232 is inclined to the side of the rotation direction of the guide shaft 202 with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202, and the reversing gear 230 and the support gear 234 are rotated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19B, the axial direction of the drive roll 236 is inclined to another side with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202 (the side of the drive roll 236 opposite to the rotation direction of the guide shaft 202 is inclined to the side of the reversing plate 204). Accordingly, the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212 are moved to the side of the reversing plate 204. Further, the passive gear 226 is rotated due to the rotation of the support gear 234, and the reversing arm 220 is rotated via the reversing rod 222. Therefore, the reversing pin 224 is inclined to the side opposite to the rotation direction of the guide shaft 202 with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202.
Further, when the driven support machine casing 212 has reached the reversing plate 204, the reversing pin 224 is inserted to the oblong hole 208 of the reversing plate 204. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 19A again, the reversing pin 224 is inclined to the side of the rotation direction of the guide shaft 202 with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202, and the reversing arm 220 is rotated. Therefore, the passive gear 226 and the support gear 234 are rotated via the reversing rod 222. Accordingly, the axial direction of the drive roll 236 is inclined to the one side with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202, and the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212 are moved to the side of the reversing plate 206. Further, the reversing gear 230 is rotated due to the rotation of the support gear 234. Accordingly, the reversing pin 232 is inclined to the side opposite to the rotation direction of the guide shaft 202 with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202.
Accordingly, the movement of the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212 to the one end side of the guide shaft 202 is reversed when the drive support machine casing 214 has reached the reversing plate 206. Further, the movement of the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212 to the another end side of the guide shaft 202 is reversed when the driven support machine casing 212 has reached the reversing plate 204. Accordingly, the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212 are both oscillated in the axial direction of the guide shaft 202 between the reversing plate 204 and the reversing plate 206. Therefore, the down augers 216 of the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212 are oscillated in the axial direction of the guide shaft 202 integrally with the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212. Accordingly, the structure is made such that the rough rice within the grain tank is uniformly agitated.
However, in the agitating machine 200 mentioned above, a mechanism for changing the direction of incline of the drive roll 236 is a mechanical mechanism constituted by the oblong holes 208 of the reversing plates 204 and 206, the reversing arm 220, the reversing rod 222, the passive gear 226, the passive arm 228, the support gear 234, the reversing gear 230 and the reversing pins 224 and 232. Accordingly, abrasion, looseness or the like may be generated in the mechanism for changing the direction of incline of the drive roll 236. Accordingly, there is generated a case that the reversing pin 232 or the reversing pin 224 is not inclined with respect to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202 when the drive support machine casing 214 or the driven support machine casing 212 has reached the reversing plate 206 or the reversing plate 204. Therefore, the axial direction of the drive roll 236 becomes substantially parallel to the axial direction of the guide shaft 202, and there is a possibility that the drive support machine casing 214 and the driven support machine casing 212 can not oscillate the guide shaft 202.
In the case mentioned above, only the rough rice in a fixed part within the grain tank is agitated, and the rough rice within the grain tank can not be uniformly agitated. Accordingly, a dry spot is significantly generated in the rough rice, and a quality deterioration trouble is generated in the rough rice.
Further, in this case, the drive roll 236 rotates only a fixed portion of the peripheral surface of the guide shaft 202. Accordingly, there is also generated a trouble that the fixed portion of the peripheral surface of the guide shaft 202 is abraded and recessed. Therefore, the guide shaft 202 can not be repaired.
In this case, since an interior side of the grain tank is in a sealed state, it is impossible to monitor an inclined circumstance of the drive roll 236. Further, even in the case that the inclined circumstance of the drive roll 236 can be monitored, it is impossible to always monitor the inclined circumstance of the drive roll 236. Accordingly, the quality deterioration trouble of the rough rice and the abrasion trouble of the guide shaft 202 are frequently unknown for a long time.
Further, as mentioned above, the guide shaft 202 supporting the driven support machine casing 212 rotates on its own axis. Further, the driven support machine casing 212 is moved in the axial direction of the guide shaft 202. Accordingly, it is necessary that the rotating portion 242 of the bearing 238 provided within the driven support machine casing 212 spirally rotates around the peripheral surface of the guide shaft 202. Further, the driven support machine casing 212 is oscillated in the axial direction of the guide shaft 202. Therefore, a spiral moving track of the rotating portion 242 with respect to the peripheral surface of the guide shaft 202 is set reverse in the direction of incline between the moving time of the driven support machine casing 212 to the one end side of the guide shaft 202 and the moving time of the driven support machine casing 212 to the another end side of the guide shaft 202. Accordingly, the bearing 238 is formed as a so-called free bearing. Thus, the spherical rotating portion 242 is made rotatable in an optional direction with respect to the holding portion 240.
However, a great deal of dust generated by the dried rough rice exist within the grain tank. Accordingly, in the bearing 238 (the free bearing), a rotating performance (a lubricating performance between the holding portion 240 and the rotating portion 242) of the rotating portion 242 which is rotatable in the optional direction with respect to the holding portion 240 tends to be deteriorated. Accordingly, a service life of the bearing 238 (particularly, the bearing 238 arranged at the upper portion of the driven support machine casing 212) is short. Therefore, there is a problem that a maintenance of the agitating machine 200 is required for a short period.